Pregnancy and mechanical heart valves replacement; dilemma of anticoagulation.

Objectives: To establish a uniform anticoagulation regimen for pregnant patients with mechanical heart valves taking into account the socio-economic background and to evaluate the incidence of anticoagulant related complications.

Methods: A retrospective study on 63 pregnancies in 21 women with mechanical heart valves was evaluated. These pregnancies were divided into two groups: Group I (n=42) received oral anticoagulants throughout pregnancy and Group II (n=21) received subcutaneous heparin in the 1st trimester and oral anticoagulants for the rest of pregnancy period.